Door-hanger and track therefor.



No. 654,6!9. ,Patentad luly 3|, I900.

J. c. GABEL, In.

DOOR HANGER A ND TRACK THEREFOR.

(Application filed. Oct. 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

//V VENTO m: scams PETERS no. Pnnwuwo" WASHINGTON. u c,

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

Jenn o. eAnEnJ-a, or ONARGA, ILLINOIS.

Doomcanoes ANDT'TRACAK TH EREFOR.

1 .srncIrioArIoN forming part of Letters recent No. e54,e19, dated July 31,1906.

Application filed 0mm 25, 1899. $sria1 No. 784,775.

(No model.)

To. 00% whom it may came a.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. GABEL, J r. of Onarga, in the'county of Iroquois and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Door-Hanger and Track Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and eicact description.

My invention relates to that class oftracks designed as overhead supports for sliding 1o doors and in. connection with which a track for the bottom of the door is not used and is not needed. I

one object of the invention is to simplify the construction of such tracks and to provide the track withmeans whereby a door provided with rigid hangers when over the open ing designed to be closed will be automatically and quickly placed in position in said opening.

Another object of the invention is to so construct a suspension track for sliding doors, especially car-doors, that the hangers of the door will be protected from the weather,

whereby the door will not bedirected to the opening it is designed to close until it is in position to uninterruptedly enter said opening, and whereby the door may be opened or closed withontmanually moving the door either outward or inward or at an angle to the frame in connectionwith which the door is used. I

Theinvention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several arts, as will be hereinafterfully set forth,

and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car and a front elevation of adoor for the same, illustrating the improved suspension-track: applied to the door and the door as closed, a

portion of the side of the car being broken away. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the improved track and portion of the side of the car, illustrating the door in plan View and open. Fig. 3 is a section taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the door closed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the improved track, a part of the said track being broken away.

Fig.5 is a verticalsection taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view of the closed end of the track or the end that is nearest the ope'ningdesigned to be closed by 'a door, and Fig; 7 is a detail perspective view of a. door-hanger. j

A represents the side of a car; B, the sliding door, designedto cover an opening 0 in the car, and D represents the improved suspension-track. This track is usually made from one piece of material, although it may be otherwise constructed, and comprises an upper longitudinal vertical flange 10, adapted tobe secured to a surface by screws or other- 'wise, an outwardly-extending upper member 11,which may be horizontal,as shown in Fig. 5, or inclined, as shown in Fig. 4, a downwardlyprojecting vertical front member 12, and a lower horizontal member 13 of less width than the upper member 11, which lower member 13 is providedwith an upwardly-extending longitudinal flange 14 at its inner edge, which forms'a guideway with'the member 12. A space intervenes between theupper edge of the flange 14 and the upper main member 11, andthe end of the track'which is adjacent to the opening to be closed by'the door is 'cov- 'ered by a cap 15. (Illustrated in Fig. 6.)

The door B is provided with two hangers E and E. These hangers are secured to the outer face of the door B at the top, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the hanger E being near the edge of the door thatis farthest removed from the opening to be closed by the door. The hangerE is preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 7, comprising'a vertical shank .18, adapted for attachment to the door by screws or other devices, and an upper outwardly-extending member 19, having a downfree end. The upper member 19 of the hanger E is preferably somewhat curved, although it may be straight, if desired. When the hanger is attached to the door,the upper member 19 extendsthrough the space between the flange 14: of the lowersection 13 of the track and the upper section 11, as shown in Fig. 4., and the projection or lip 20 on the hanger is of sufficient length to rest or bear upon the in- .ner surface of the said lower member 13 of the track, as is also shown in Fig. 4:. The hanger E differs from the opposing hanger E only in wa'rdly-projecting flange 20 at its outer or means of a lock 23 of any suitable construcsuitable character.

, the door is held in its closed position by rea then'horizontally along the track. When the 2and 4.; but when the door is closed the said trated'the track as provided with transverse the shape of its upper member 19 ,which meniberinstead of extending at a right angle from the shank is curved in direction of the edge of the door adjacent to which the hanger is placed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The them her 19'of the hanger E is curved in themary ner stated inorder to insurethe door traveling a sufficient distance in the track D to bring the doorimmediately opposite the opening 0, into which it is to be fitted. The door is guided into this opening by locating a par tition 17 in .the-suspension-track D at. its closed end, and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this partition extends from the end captrnie track to the front section 12, connecting with this section of the track at a point quite close" to the closed end of the track, so that the partition 17 is very'short. This'partition may constitutean integral portion of the track or may be secured therein in any suitable or approved manner. When, the suspensiontrack D is in position, its closed end is'substantially opposite the outer. jamb of the door-frame or that jamb into which the bolt would be entered, and the track extends above the door-frame a suitable distance beyond the opposite jamb, as shown in Figs.1, 2, and'3. v The door is usually provided with one or more studs 21 at what may be termed its forwardvertical' edge, and these studs are adapted to enter recesses in the jamb of the door-frame, as is shown in Fig.1, serving as bolts; but the opposite vertical edge'portion of the dooris secured to the car-body by tion. The door is prevented from sliding off the track at its open end by locating a suit able stop 24 on the body of the car belowthe open end of the track, as shown in Fig. 1, and in order to facilitate handling the door said door is provided-with a hand-grip 22 of any In operation, the door being open, as shown in Fig. 2, when it is desired to close the door said door is simply pushed in direction of the closed end of the track D, and as soon as the member'19 of the hanger E engages with the inclined partition 17 the door will be directed into the-opening-O it is designed to close, and

son of the said hanger E engaging with the the door is to be opened, it is simply drawn indirection of the open end of the track, and when so drawn the partition 17 will permit the door'to travel outward or forward and door is in its open position, the pendent portions 20 of the hangers engage with the suspension-track at the front, as shown in Figs.

members 20 of the hangers engage with the suspension-track D at the lower flange 14,;asshown in Fig. 3. In the drawings I have illusshrengthening webs 16.; but saidwebs may be omitted, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A suspension-trackfordoors, consisting of upper'and lower spaced-apart members connected at the front, the lower member being providedwith an upwardly-extendin g flange at its inner edge, and a partition in the lower member atone end thereof, said partition extending in aninclined direction from the front toward the flange, asdescribed.

" 2T A' suspension track for sliding doors, comprising upper and lower members connected'at the-front, the lower member being provided with an'upwardly extending flange at its inner edge, which flange is of less'depth vertically than the vertical space between the upper and lower members of'the track, means for closing one, end off'the track, and an inclined plane located at the closed end of the track, extending from the front in direction of the flange of the lower member of said track, as described.

3. The combination," with a s'uspensiontrack, consisting of an upper member, alower member of less width and provided'with a flange at its inner edge-whereby a space intervenes between the said flange and the said upper member, and a front member connecting the upper and lower members, the "said track being closed at one end, and averti'cal partition located at the closed end'of the track, extending-from the front thereof in direction of the flange-of the lower member of the track, of a door, hangers secured to'the said door, said hangers having members arranged to enter the track at the space be tween the flange of its'lower member'and the upper member *of the tra'ckpthe entering member ofthe hanger nearest the said partition having a curvature in direction of the partition, and projections from'the forward ends of each hanger, which projections. are arranged for engagementwith the'bottom portion of said track, as described.

4. 'The combination of a suspension-track having two spaced-apart longitudinally-extending vertical members forming a'guideway between them, "a partition extending across said guideway at one end thereof in an inclined direction, and a door having hangers formed with horizontal members loosely member and spacedfrom the side of the car i and said upper member, a partition extend- 1 ing inan inclineddirection across said guide way, and a door having hangers secured thereto, said hangers being formed with horizontal members having projections at their free ends adapted to ride on the lower mem- 5 bet, one of said hangers engaging with the partition when the door is closed, as set forth. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN o; GABEL, JR.

Witnesses:

J. FRED. ACKER, J NO. M. BITTER. 

